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Action 9 investigates online mug shot reputation companies

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - A Seminole County woman was cleared of all criminal charges, but now she can't erase her online mug shot unless she pays.

Anyone who is arrested may have to pay hundreds of dollars to so-called reputation companies, but there's no guarantee the damaging photos disappear.

An online search reveals a painful chapter in Laura Booker's past. You'll find her mug shot after she was arrested, accused of trespassing and resisting arrest after confronting a school bus driver she claimed didn’t protect her child from bullies.

Later, the state dropped all charges, but Booker’s attempt to erase her mug shots on several private websites failed.

"When will it really end? When is enough enough?” Booker asked.

Booker has found many online reputation firms that claims it can remove anyone's mug shot for a price.

"It's greed. It's wrong, and it's frustrating,” she said.

Critics said sites that post mug shots have a cozy relationship with the reputation companies that charge to remove them.

FloridaArrests.org, which posts thousands of booking shots, was created by Rob Wiggins in Winter Park. But Wiggins wouldn’t tell Wired.com how much he collected from reputation firms to erase images or what their relationship was.